Loafiesta 1

Loafiesta 1 will be the very first of Loafiesta, the national selection process used to choose the Loafousian entry for Maia Song Contest 7. Following an internal selection for Maia Song Contest 6, the official broadcasters for Loafousia (ETL) confirmed that a new national selection process would be taking place on the morning of 28th January 2017, with further details released later that day. There are differences from Loafousia's first national selection, with the number of entries being increased from 7 entries to 10 entries, and the televoting being removed.

Format
On the night of the Grand Final, the 10 entries will be performed, and then voted on by the international juries. The points will all be added together, and the entry with the most points will be chosen to represent Loafousia in Maia Song Contest 7.

It was initially reported that ETL had held a secret entry submission period starting in late December 2016, although this was later denied when a public announcement was made on Saturday 14th January 2017, with the deadline being two weeks later when the national final was officially announced. When it was announced, ETL confirmed that they had received 866 submissions, including some from high profile musicians in Loafousia. It was also confirmed that one artist will be attempting to return to Maia Song Contest, although it wasn't clear if the aforementioned artist had previously represented Loafousia or a different country. These entries were whittled down to ten.

Presenters
Alongside the announcement of the national final on 28th January, ETL confirmed that the show would be presented by presenter and comedian Mel Giedroyc, who would be accompanied by actress Tameka Empson on the night.

Performances
The opening act was confirmed to be Michaela May, who represented Loafousia in the previous edition of Maia Song Contest, with her song "Lights Out". The interval acts have not yet been confirmed, although rumours are suggesting that names such as Gabrielle Aplin and Ward Thomas could be performing.

Entries
There is no information on the entries yet, but ETL did confirm that all entries will be performed in English.

Final
The final will take place in Tiknik Arena, on an unconfirmed date. The winner will be decided by the international juries of Maia, where any country is eligible and invited to vote.

You can find the recap here. You can find the playlist (including recap) here.